ANG THONG: Towering Transformers, life-sized Marvel superheroes and extraterrestrial lifeforms -- a "House of Steel Robots" in Thailand has made a name for itself by transforming scrap metal into dazzling sculptures inspired by Hollywood blockbusters.
Ban Hun Lek, an hour's drive north of Bangkok, has become a popular weekend spot for families eager for Instagram selfies against a backdrop that looks plucked from the the silver screen. Visitors to Phairote Thanomwong's welding workshop gaze up at eight-metre-high (26 feet) sculptures modelled after the robots of the Transformers franchise and a jet-black King Kong hewn together from old car parts.
Phairote opened his welding workshop 20 years ago and eventually converted its front section into a gallery for curious tourists. "It was just a hobby at first," he tells AFP. "When I was a child, I liked mechanics a lot... so I made what I liked into my work." Every sculpture is built using scrap metal and recyclables, which makes each creation unique, he said.
A one-metre-high piece sells for up to 30,000 baht ($950), and the majority of his customers are overseas buyers. Since the pandemic spread around the world and sent the global economy into a tailspin, Phairote says his art exports have been put on pause.